Traditional Ranks In The Roman Rite.

The Cloisters,

Chester Cathedral.

Photo: 10 July 2014.

Source: Own work.

Author: Diliff

Attribution: “Photo by DAVID ILIFF.

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0”.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text from Google AI, unless stated otherwise.

Prior to the Liturgical Reforms of Pope Pius XII and Pope John XXIII, Feasts in the Roman Rite were Traditionally Ranked as:

Double.

Further divided into

I-Class Double.

II-Class Double.

Greater Double.

Double.

Semi-Double.

Simple.

Doubles being the highest Rank and Simples the lowest Rank.

These Ranks determined which Mass was Celebrated when multiple Feasts coincided.

Doubles: Represented the most important Feasts.

Further divided into:

I-Class Doubles:

The highest Rank, such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost.

II-Class Doubles: Feasts of lesser importance than I Class, but still significant.

Greater Doubles (or Major Doubles): A distinction introduced by Pope Clement VIII, Ranking above regular Doubles.

Doubles: The basic Double Rank.

Semi-Doubles: A Rank lower than Doubles, but still more important than Simples.

Simples: The lowest Rank, with simpler Liturgical Celebrations.

Significance of the Ranking:

The Ranking dictated which Mass was Celebrated on days when multiple Feasts occurred. For example, a Double Feast would take precedence over a Semi-Double or Simple Feast.

The Ranking also influenced how Feasts were Celebrated on Sundays or other Privileged Days.

On Ferias (weekdays) and many Simple Feasts, the Celebrant could choose to substitute a different Mass, such as a Votive Mass or a Mass for the Dead.

Reforms and Changes:

Pope Pius XII abolished the Rank of Semi-Double in 1955.

Pope John XXIII’s 1960 Code of Rubrics further reformed the Ranking System, replacing the Traditional Ranks with a new System of Classes (I, II, III, and IV).

The Feasts formerly Ranked as Doubles of the I-Class were 

re-classified as Feasts of the I-Class, and so on.

The new System aimed to simplify the Liturgical Calendar and provide a more streamlined approach to Celebrating Feasts.